Cast: Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Naomi Watts, Andy Serkis, Kyle Chandler, Colin Hanks, Jamie Bell, Evan Parke, Thomas Kretschmann
Director: Peter Jackson
Released by Universal
Rating: *** 1/2

Peter Jackson's "King Kong" is, like its titular character, huge in just about every possible way - its storytelling, its computer generated spectacles, its thrills and even its sheer length.

In the hands of a lesser filmmaker, "King Kong" could have ended up being just another roller coaster ride with plenty of CGI effects, but Jackson imbues it with a sense of humanity and fun that makes it special.

Jackson, who decided to become a filmmaker after watching the original "King Kong" (1933) as a nine-year-old, also pays homage to the film that pioneered special effects and good old-fashioned adventure yarns lapped up by audiences out for a fun weekend outing.

But more than just the thrills that one would expect from a movie about a group of people landing on an undiscovered island with a gargantuan ape, Jackson's "King Kong" is also about characters and the little moments that make us want to care about them.

Unlike the 1976 remake of "King Kong" that tried to unnecessarily transform the tale into a confrontation between the innocence of nature and corporate greed, Jackson's version remains rooted in the Great Depression of the 1930s, which makes the premise of a filmmaker searching for the mythical Skull Island more believable.

Almost an hour passes by before King Kong makes his first appearance, and Jackson uses it to establish his main players - Jack Black as filmmaker Carl Denham, on the lam from his producers who have decided to seize the footage of his new epic before he bankrupts them, Naomi Watts as the down-and-out vaudeville performer whom Black chooses as a replacement for the heroine who has walked out of his film, and Adrien Brody as the moody playwright writing the script for Denham's film who is tricked into joining the voyage to Skull Island.

The voyage helps set up the secondary characters, including Thomas Kretschmann as the tough-as-nails skipper of the vessel hired by Denham, Evan Parke as his noble first mate, Jamie Bell as the young boy who has become a part of the ship's crew since he was found as a stowaway and Andy Serkis as the cook Lumpy.

Of course, Serkis is also the actor who provided the basis for the computer experts who animated the 25-ft Kong - very similar to his role as Gollum in Jackson's gigantic "Lord Of The Ring" series.

As expected, once Denham's team reaches Skull Island, all hell breaks loose. Watts is kidnapped by fierce natives who offer her as a sacrifice to Kong, and Brody, smitten by her charms, mounts a near impossible mission to rescue her from the giant ape.

All this sets up encounters with the dinosaurs and other animals that inhabit the interior of Skull Island - these range from huge centipedes to slimy creatures with fangs.

But three sequences alone are worth the price of admission - Kong's battle with three T-Rexs in a ravine full of vines, his rampage through New York and Kong's climactic battle with bi-plane fighters atop the Empire State Building that leaves one breathless.

The flip side? Some of Jackson's creatures on Skull Island are just too grossed out and the film could have easily been shorn of at least 30 minutes without affecting its overall feel and quality.

All said and done, this one is worth a repeat viewing.